Our top pick of the week: Holiday gift ideas

Black Friday and Cyber Monday may be behind us, but that doesn't mean holiday shopping is over — for many of us, it's just getting started. And it doesn't have to be a struggle.

In an attempt to make things a little easier for everyone this year, we've put together extensive gift idea lists for many of the biggest games, shows, and franchises out there. Looking for outside-the-box suggestions? We've got you covered.

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This week on YouTube | Learning to love Stardew Valley's terrible fishing game | Fishing in Stardew Valley is one of the most notoriously annoying parts of the game. It's difficult and finicky and hard to master. But with a little help from a literary icon, Polygon's Simone de Rochefort learned to love this obnoxious mechanic.

8 stories to read

When the makers of Pokémon Go and Sleep No More tried to reinvent theater | Niantic and Punchdrunk spent years designing a gamified theatrical experience that never happened.

John Woo on returning to Hollywood at 77 and trying 'to do it a bit different' | The director digs into his new dialogue-free movie Silent Night, and how his crew went rogue to add doves.

All the news we've heard about GTA 6, including when its first trailer drops | Rockstar's long-awaited follow-up to GTA 5 is almost(?) here.

How K-dramas came to and dominated America | The story of Korean dramas' crossover moment, and the shows to watch that explain it all.

Taika Waititi is really ready for you to buy into the Taikaverse | The writer-director on Next Goal Wins, filmmaking philosophy, and why he loves playing wacky priests.

Baldur's Gate 3 is even more chaotic with 16 people in your party | Party Limit Begone is exactly how it sounds.

'I don't want to revisit myself at 25': The story behind Netflix's bold Scott Pilgrim anime | Scott Pilgrim — the man and the franchise — came back to life only how Bryan Lee O'Malley wanted them to.

Paizo's first new rulebook since dropping the OGL evokes... David Attenborough? | All aboard the good ship Zoetrope in search of Golarion's wildest creatures.

5 things to watch

Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials on Disney Plus | Doctor Who time traveled back to 2008 to save the show in 2023.

Maestro in theaters | Capturing Bradley Cooper's struggle to define what he really wants to be.

Halo on YouTube | The Halo TV show is going free-to-play in hopes you'll watch season 2.

Napoleon in theaters | Finally, an epic celebrating history's most accomplished cuck.

PokéNational Geographic on YouTube | Pokémon come to life in National Geographic-style animations.

5 games to play

Saltsea Chronicles | This week, we're catching up on some of the best under-the-radar games from recent months (and in one case, from much earlier). Saltsea Chronicles lends a potent mythology to our current crises. Available on Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC.

RoboCop: Rogue City | The first-person shooter has underdog charm and personality, but not enough originality. Available on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.

WarioWare: Move It! | A twist on one of the best WarioWare games ever made. Available on Nintendo Switch.

Cities: Skylines 2 | A beautiful array of systems. Available on Windows PC.

Dragon's Dogma | Prepare for Capcom's sequel by playing the most underrated open-world game of the 2010s. Available on Windows PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

Free game of the week

Davigo | An asymmetric release in early access, Davigo pits knights (who play for free on PC) against giants (who pay and play in VR) in chaotic battles. Available on Windows PC.

The best of the rest

WHO: Lofi Girl now has chill beats to play chess to.
WHAT: Waluigi creator reveals scrapped "Bad Peach" designs — behold Wapeach.
WHEN: Fortnite's Family Guy saga may finally be coming to an end.
WHERE: Hey Spotify, why the heck am I "Provo, Utah"?
WHY: Naruto game accused of using AI voice-over is just sloppy editing, admits Bandai.
HOW: We asked the Cult of the Lamb developers too many questions about its sex update.